Local volunteers repair flags

RITZVILLE – Fifteen volunteers gathered Feb. 26 at the American Legion Hall, 106 W. Broadway Ave., to repair U.S. flags ahead of Memorial Day.

The flags are flown annually, Memorial Day weekend, at Ritzville Memorial Cemetery on Rosenoff Road, a half-mile west of the city limit.

Of the 178 flags in the collection, 86 were repaired by volunteer seamstresses.

Most of the damage occurs on the upper corner of the trailing edge of the flags, where the wind has the biggest whipping effect, volunteers said. Three flags were determined to be beyond repair and were replaced with new flags.

The damaged...